Multiple electric discharge tube



April 4, 1950 o. 1.. VAN STEENIS MULTIPLE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBE Filed Aug. 1, 1947 0170 10m MAIL HES.

INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 4, 1950 MULTIPLE ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBE Otto Louis van Steenis, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignor to Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Hartford, Conn, as trustee Application August 1, 1947, Serial No. 765,579

In the Netherlands August 30, 1946 other and to support them by means of metallic or insulating screens or partitions. In general, however, these constructions were elaborate and complicated, more particularly with tubes of very small dimensions.

It is the object of the present invention to provide means for housing a plurality of electrode systems in a single tube which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a tube for multiple electrode systems in which the mounting of the electrodes can be easily and rapidly effected.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a tube for mounting multiple electrode systems in which mutual interference of the several electrode systems will not occur.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a tube of the character above indicated which may be used in mounting of multiple electrode systems of very small dimensions.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

According to the invention, the disadvantages outlined above with respect to customary devices may be completely avoided, and the desired improvements brought about, when a piece of glass tubing is used as an envelope or bulb, which has a number of partitions subdividing the interior of the tube into a plurality of channel-shaped compartments. In each of these compartments, one electrode system is housed and it is supported therein against the walls in the manner and by means customary in the art.

Such glass tubes are manufactured in great lengths for various purposes, for example for neon lighting. In order to obtain a tube according to the invention, part of such length of glass tubing exhibiting a plurality of channels is out 01f and at one end the partitions are slightly ground ofl. Subsequently, the systems are slid into the various channels in which they are supported against the wall with the aid of the customary centering 2 Claims. (Cl. 25027.5)

means. At one end the glass tube is closed, to

example, by means of an external pinch, in which operation the supply conductors of the various systems are sealed-in at the same time. It is also possible, however, to mount the systems beforehand on a common glass base and to slide the glass tube exhibiting several channels over it in such manner that each system arrives in a corresyonding channel. Subsequent to exhaustion carried out under a bell or by means of an exhaust tube the piece of glass tubing is then sealed at the top. Since, due to part of the partition being ground off, the interior spaces of the channels in which the various electrode systems are located, communicate with one another, the exhaustion may take place simultaneously whilst a common getter may be evaporated in the upper part of the bulb. It is also possible in this case to interconnect electrodes of the various systems within the tube. The invention is particularly important in the case of very small systems such as are utilized in hearing apparatus, when working with very short waves, in transmitters of very small dimensions, in heads of shells, and the like.

The invention will be explained more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a cross-section,

Fig. 2 is a lateral elevation of a tube according to the invention,

Fig. 3 is a piece of glass tubing from which the bulb of a discharge tube according to the invention is made and Fig. 4 represents a tube wherein the electrode systems are mounted on a common glass base.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numerals l, 2 and 3 denote electrode systems arranged in the channels of a bulb 4 and supported by means of mica members 5, 6 and 1. Between the systems are present partitions 8 and 9, which are slightly ground off at the upper end at 12, as distinctly appears from Fig. 2, so that in the top portion of the tube a common space is produced in which getter material IB is evaporated and, as the case may be, the through-connections of the electrodes are provided. At the lower end the systems are mounted in a common pinch l I. Fig. 3 represents a length of glass tubing exhibiting adjacent channels, the partitions B and 9 being ground off at l2. In Fig. 4 the tube is closed at the lower end by a common moulded base plate i3 on which systems l4, l5 and I6 are mounted by means of throughgoing pins H. In the upper portion of the channels the systems may also be supported by means of centering members consisting, for example, of mica. The base plate l3 may be provided with a raised rim i 8, which may be connected to the wall M in a vacuum-tight manner, for example, by means of readily fusible glaze,

It is evident that, in accordance with the invention, other forms of construction are also possible. For example, instead of lying side by side, the channels may also be arranged in the form of a triangle whilst any desired number or channels may be used. The channels preferably should have a width of from about 4 to 8 mms. although other dimensions may also be utilized. Moreover, it is possible to take some of the supply conductors to the exterior at the top of the bulb, or to provide the bulb at both ends with a pinch, whilst alternatively a combination of a glass base at one end and a pinch at the other end is possible.

What I claim is:

1. An electron discharge tube with aplurality of electrode systems, said tube comprising a single bulb consisting of a piece of glass tubing or housing said systems, glass partitions within said bulb for subdividing the interiorof said tubing into a plurality of elongate parallel compartments, each of said compartments being adapted to house one of said electrode systems, and supporting means for mounting therein the electrode ends near the bottom and top of said compartments, said supporting means at one end-of the tube consisting in a common pinch for the electrodes of all systems, said glass partitions being ground off over a length of a few millimeters, thereby providing a common space on top of said compartments for intercommunication thereof.

4 2. An electron discharge tube with a plurality of electrode systems, said tube comprising a single bulb consisting of a piece of glass tubing for housing said systems, glass partitions within said bulb for subdividing the interior of said tubing into a plurality of elongate parallel compartments, each of said compartments being adapted to house one of said electrode systems, said glass partitions being ground ofi over a length of a few millimeters, thereby providing a common space on top of said compartments for intercommunication thereof, means for mounting the electrodes near the top of said compartments, and a common base for mounting the electrodes at the bottom by means of conductors shaped as contact pins.

OTTO LOUIS VAN STEENIS.

REFERENCES ClTElD The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,963,962 Barclay June 26, 1934 2,052,5 i2 Thomas Aug. 25, 1936 2 ,089,567 Mofiat Aug. 10, 1987 2,264,183 Nash Nov. 25, 1941 2,374,684 Kiser May 1, 1945 2,432,260 Thomas Dec. 9, 1947 2,457,948 Thomas Jan. 4, 1949 2,457,950 Thomas Jan. 4, 1949 2,470,536 Thomas May 17, 1.949 

